MAD2Run 2018 is around the corner – running nearly 1 520km’s from Johannesburg to Cape Town in seven days, the 2017 team will be embarking on the fourth annual fund-raising event in support of Francois Pienaars’s MAD (Make A Difference) Leadership Foundation.
From the 23rd to 30th of March 2018, 36 runners each will run a 24hr relay-style run; and 20 cyclists will ride in a peloton from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Having already raised more than R2m for educational scholarships over the last four years – 2018’s event promises to be bigger, and more impactful than ever before.
Started by Francois Pienaar in 2003, The MAD Leadership Foundation is dedicated to offering scholarships to academically talented young leaders for their entire academic careers; covering all academic fees, mentoring, work experience, leadership development and anything else they may need.
The MAD2Run project was started in 2012 by Shaun Raaff. “I had listened to a talk by Braam Malherbe who ran across the Great Wall of China in aid of the charity Miles for Smiles and decided that there was no better time than now to get proactive and make a positive difference in South Africa”, says Raaff. With an existing connection to the MAD Leadership Foundation, it was the perfect cause to put the team’s efforts towards.
In 2014 after 2 years of training and planning, the first run took place – with the team raising R250 000 for MAD.
Due to the success of the initiative and the support garnered, a new batch of motivated runners took to the road in 2015 – raising a further R275 000. MAD2Run’s Team’16 was able to capitalize on this momentum, and raised the monumental amount of R525 000!
In 2017 the logistics of the event were forever changed, faced with an influx of eager runners, the 2017 run doubled not only the amount of runners out on the road, but also the fundraising effort, to R1,1m!
In the quest to continue the growth of previous years, 2018 sees the inaugural MAD2Cycle challenge! A team of 20 cyclists following the same route as MAD2Run, staying at the same base camps, but cycling to full 1 511km distance as a peloton. What makes MAD2Cycle unique is that it is a multi-stage, multi-terrain ride that requires both a mountain and road bike.
Through creating awareness, sponsorship, and range of exciting planned events, team 2018 is aiming to raise R1,5m for the MAD foundation – more than ever before.
by 